Bowling alley bumper systems have heretofore been proposed, illustrative of which is that which is described in AMF Publication "New Products on Parade" published in 1965; and those described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,012 granted to David H. Marx for "Bowling Alley" on July 24, 1962; 4,330,122 granted to Zena Sheinberg et al. for "Convertible Bowling Alley" on May 18, 1982; and 4,420,155 granted on Zena Sheinberg et al. for "Convertible Bowling Alley" on Dec. 13, 1983.
While some of the currently available bumper systems may perform effectively, it has been found that the problems of disposing them in the desired locations (e.g., the gutters) or blowing them up (in the case of air bag types of bumpers) involve time, trouble and expense that make them less than completely satisfactory. Accordingly, there has continued to be a need for a system that is permanently positioned, does not interfere with normal operation of an alley and can be automatically deployed into the desired position while at the same time providing fully effective bumpering.